And it begins: 4 Bar 4 Ranch gets grant for restoration

A crane lifts a piece of the hotel off the ground during the deconstruction of the 4 Bar 4 Ranch.Courtesy Photo |

The 4 Bar 4 Ranch is considerably closer to being restored, thanks to a $200,000 grant awarded to Historic Fraser, Inc. from the State Historical Fund run by History Colorado.

The grant will fund the entire restoration of the Ford Barn, one of two buildings on the site undergoing restoration. The barn will be partially deconstructed, and rebuilt according to a stringent set of standards for historical restoration handed down by the Secretary of the Interior.

“We have a very detailed plan,” said Ronda Dorchester, president of Historic Fraser. “We will literally be dismantling parts of the barn, stabilizing it and lifting it.”

The deconstruction involves lifting the barn, removing deteriorated logs from the foundation and pouring a new foundation underneath. Any usable pieces of the original structure must be catalogued, and then put back in their original spots. Unusable parts of the building will be rebuilt in the same style.

In order to receive the funding from History Colorado, Historic Fraser is tasked with raising a cash match of about half the $200,000. So far they have raised about $53,000, and they will have to complete fundraising by a deadline in October.

“I’m not concerned about it,” said Dorchester. “We’ve had a lot of support in the past, and several people have given significant amounts of money. Over the last couple of years I bet we’ve had 65 donors who make up more than half of that $53,000. People are just excited about the project and interested in helping.”

Historic Fraser is planning a throwing a fundraising barbecue and poker night at Pole Creek Golf Course in September.

The restoration of the barn is expected to start and finish during the 2018 construction season. The deconstruction and cataloguing of the second building on the site, the Stagecoach Hotel, has already begun.

Dorchester said that Historic Fraser will likely apply for a similar grant to fund the reconstruction of the hotel in the Spring, so that they can begin work in earnest on it in 2019.

She went on to emphasize that this project is only possible through donations and volunteers, and stressed that they are always looking for more help.